Troop 103 Wins the District’s Dr. Joseph H. Riley Award
Dr. Joseph H. Riley’s interest in Scouting began during the 1920s when he joined the Scouting program of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Hanover and later Troop 3 (now Troop 103, Battlefield District). In 1931, he became a member of Troop 78, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Gettysburg. He was a role model for the youth and adults of Troop 78 and the Scouting community at large as he served as Chartered Partner Representative (now titled Charter Organizational Representative) for the Scouting units of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, as well as served concurrently on the former Black Walnut District Committee in numerous responsible positions: Health and Safety Committee and the District Awards Committee. Dr. Riley was involved in Scouting for over 75 years.
In November of 1991, the former Black Walnut District established an award for Scouting excellence in honor of Dr. Riley’s long and dedicated service to Scouting and the youth of the Gettysburg area. The Dr. Joseph H. Riley Award is presented annually at the district recognition dinner to the Scout Troop or Venturing Crew determined to be truly outstanding by the district awards committee.
In order to be eligible for consideration for the Dr. Joseph H. Riley Award, units must first qualify as a Silver or Gold Unit in the Journey to Excellence and submit an application request of consideration. Additional items reviewed by the awards committee include but are not limited to: information about the unit; year-round program opportunities offered; community service; participation in council/district activities; number of registered; trained leaders; and number of youth. These are only examples of activities that may be used. The committee will be looking for how well or how much the person works in the unit, helpfulness, the unsung hero (goes above and beyond), number of years of experience, and all outstanding service within the unit and community (may include district and council, but not necessary).
Please visit the Troop website at http://www.bsatroop103.org/ to learn more about our program and witness the excitement enjoyed by our youth members in our gallery.